davidjo

There was at least a foot of new there last weekend. Perhaps it'll melt out soon with the heat.

http://www.chesslerbooks.com has two good ones: Dane Bass's The Whole Enchilada and Magic Ed's Potrero Select. Both were useful on our trip last February. We met both authors down there and they're both good guys.

Montypiton: I have similar feet, so I'm curious about what's in your boot quiver. I have a custom footbed, but can use that by itself only in my La Sportiva Trango Alps. In my other boots (Trango Extreme EVO, Scarpa Triolet) I add a neoprene tongue insert and sometimes keep the factory insole in addition to the custom insole and the fit still ain't great. I also use the thickest socks I have (SmartWool Mountaineering). It would be awesome to find boots that can feel like I was born in them.

I'm really sorry to hear this. I think Leubben's rock climbing and anchors books are the best ones out there and I appreciate him for that. It's sobering it happened at a place I was at last summer. My condolences to his family. DavidJo

I use the NOAA point forecast for Mt. Stuart where they do elevation extrapolation for you. Note that I have seen adjacent forecast areas have significant differences, which seems unlikely, so YMMV.

I ordered a pair from Moosejaw last summer. I have a pair of Trango Extreme EVOs for ice, so I felt okay ordering the Alp online. I had tried on the Trango S before, but they felt too light and seemed to wear quickly for my partners. After a long wait and seeing the model removed from Moosejaw's site, they arrived directly from LaSportiva on July 3rd. They are a bit stiffer than the S's. They fit my low-volume feet without my usual extra padding to take up space. I walked around the park and they felt good enough that I used them on a 3-day trip the next day. They climbed and hiked very well (but we bailed in the rain on the second day). I used them for about a dozen more days in the alpine last season and they were great. They have the grippiest rubber I've seen in a boot, but the sole might wear faster because of that. They make a good platform for crampons, but they don't have a front welt for step-ins. I'd definitely buy them again. Pro Mountain Sports in Seattle has 'em if you want to check them out.

Great trip report, even with no photos. We did this on 9/6 and spent an unplanned second night at the bivy. On the descent we traversed east staying between 7,700 and 7,800 ala Nelson, but ran into a large dark rib that looked improbable. After going down quite a ways, we went back up over the top of the rib at ~7900, which worked well. Once the snow melts in the gullies to the north it looks like you pretty much have to go all the way to Sherpa Pass.

Looks like he's got it wired: 4-3EyMPzMoo

There's more on this thread: climbing course discussion. Once you start getting up to speed, climb with various partners, and watch how they do things in different situations. Figure out what works best for you. Books can also give you good ideas for things to try. Freedom of the Hills often shows outdated methods, so go with the Mountaineers "Expert Series", Falcon's "How to Climb" series, or Connelly's sometimes contrarian Mountaineering Handbook.

From Boston Glacier Sunday morning From Sharkfin Tower yesterday FWIW: An IMG guide we met on Sharkfin said the word was that NF Buckner was out.

People were crossing the creek Sunday and Monday on a large log below the bridge. Someone sprinkled gravel on it so it wasn't too bad. We got to it via snow that has probably melted by now. At least you can now drive to the trailhead. The trail also has some washouts higher up. On the way in we did a short but spicy mud/rubble/root traverse above the creek. Coming back we followed a new boot path through the woods above to avoid the sketchiness.

The Temple we climbed last July is the peak just left of the one identified as Temple in AlpineMonkey's photo above. The route matched Nelson's description and the peak was definitely higher than the one to its right.

I bought a pair when they first came out a couple years ago. I rented their prececessor Scarpa Alphas a couple times before and those worked well. The liner boot of the Omegas "cracked" around the ankle in several places after maybe 5 days of use. Others I've talked to have had similar problems and also report that the laces break quickly too. Before using them on an extended trip, I'd probably get Intuitions for them.

Guide services and climbing clubs each have their advantages. If you're interested guide service offerings, I've had good luck with the American Alpine Institute. Guide service pros: - instructed by professionals - many offerings to fit your needs and schedule - you'll learn current techniques Cons: - expensive - compressed schedule -- a lot to learn in a short time - dependent on weather for your chosen dates/location - no ongoing community to climb with Cimbing club pros: - inexpensive - extended schedule -- absorb skills over weeks and months - see different locations and conditions - provide a built-in community to start climbing with Cons: - instructed by weekend amateurs, some good, some not so good - one size fits all format and curriculum - if you're not signed up by winter, you're SOL for the year - techniques can be dated

I learned to lead trad from SRG the summer before last and they did an excellent job. For classes they used Metolius gear exclusively, but the guides were happy to recommend other brands to try before assembling your own rack. If the class goes, I recommend reading Craig Leubben's and/or John Long's anchor books beforehand. Heidi Pesterfield's Traditional Lead Climbing has some useful info too, but it's not as good a book.